The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test: The Big Short

Based off of true events, The Big Short is about the small group of men who were aware of the impending credit and housing bubble collapse of 2007-2008.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

The Big Short does not pass the Bechdel, Russo or race test.

Jared (Ryan Gosling) talks to Mark (Steve Carell) at a convention and he (Jared) tells him to chill and not freak out.

Women are virtually non-existent in The Big Short and they only make an appearance every once in a while. Of the few women that are in the film, a couple have names, but because there is never an instance where named women (or unnamed women for that matter) speak to each other, the film does not pass the Bechdel test. The Big Short also fails to pass the Russo and race test, and the film does not pass these diversity tests because there are no LGBTI characters in The Big Short and because the few non-White individuals in the film (who are just as rare as women in The Big Short) never speak to each other.

*The Bechdel test entails three requirements:
1. It has to have at least two (named) women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man

*The Vito Russo test entails three requirements:
1. The film contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and/or transgender
2. The character must not be solely or predominately defined by her sexual orientation, gender identity and/or as being intersex
3.The character must be tied into the plot in such a way that her removal would have a significant effect

***The race or people of color (POC) test has three requirements:
1. It has two people of color in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something other than a White person

****Just because a film passes the Bechdel, Russo and race test does not mean that it is not sexist, heterosexist, racist and/or cissexist, etc. The Bechdel, Russo and race test is only a bare minimum qualifier for the representation of LGBTI individuals, women and people of color in film. The failure to pass these tests also does not identify whether the central character was a woman, a person of color or a LGBTQI individual and it does not dictate the quality of the film.